ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. object — to protest
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. face — to confront
  8. hand — in cards
  9. face — part of the head
  10. branch — a division
  11. band — a ring
  12. rash — a series
  13. last — to go on
  14. object — an aim
  15. last — final
  16. object — a thing
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. hand — help
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rash — hasty
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com